Powerless
by AndromedaMarine
Summary: Vala Mal Doran loathed feeling powerless, yet that was the exact feeling she got the moment she stepped into the SGC through the Stargate.


**Powerless by AndromedaMarine**

Vala Mal Doran loathed feeling powerless, yet that was the exact feeling she got the moment she stepped into the SGC through the Stargate. Immediately she recognized _her_ Daniel Jackson; she walked up and hugged him. Daniel had a scruffy beard (which Vala decided made him look extra sexy) and he looked sort of disgusted or regretful that he'd vouched for her safe entrance.

"Hello, Daniel!" Vala said as cheerily as she could. "How have you been?" She smiled widely at him. "Miss me?"

The archaeologist gave Vala an indifferent expression. "Well, I was better before now." Even before he said it he regretted it. Although fighting Vala aboard the Prometheus was no fun – that kiss had left him feeling tingly. He smiled minimally. "But I can deal."

Vala felt more and more powerless as she looked at Daniel's stunning and brilliant blue eyes. She lowered her gaze and played with the scruff of his sideburns. Jackson seized her wrists and brought them down, staring at her disapprovingly. In his gut Daniel knew he was being less-civil than he would have liked.

Daniel Jackson walked away with his hands in his pockets knowing he should have been nicer to Vala and half-considering going to her guest-quarters and apologizing. The archaeologist went to his lab and sat at his small desk. The same thought was on a marquee across the front of his mind: go talk to her.

--

Vala stared around her small guest quarters and sighed. She had hoped Daniel would be glad to see her but instead he had looked at her with indifferent – almost hurtful – eyes. She sighed, still feeling completely powerless. She was not allowed to travel the corridors of the SGC without an escort. The only friendliness she had received was from Landry (if a welcome could be called such) and Daniel was ignoring her. She sighed again, wondering if her trip had been worth it. Vala fell back onto the bed and blew a wisp of black hair from her eyes. Nothing was going right.

--

Daniel had his head in his arms and he'd had enough. In frustration he slammed his hands on the desk and stood.

--

Someone was knocking on her door. Vala got up in a huff and opened it. "What?" she asked forcefully. "Oh, hello Daniel. What do you want?" Her voice was far from friendly.

"Can I come in?" he asked politely, the smallest trace of a smile on his mouth.

Vala stepped aside, allowing the archaeologist to enter. She half-glared at him, still angry about the gateroom.

Daniel looked at his boots. "Listen, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have embarrassed you in the gateroom, and you are a guest here." He slowly lifted his head to look at her.

"Daniel, you shouldn't have to apologize – I came here asking for a safe passage and you gave it. It's my fault that you're uncomfortable with my being here, and I'm sorry. I was too forward back there." The sad thing for Daniel was Vala didn't even look at him. She just sat on the bed looking the other way. Vala didn't want to be hurt by the beautiful eyes that were probably trained on her at that moment.

"But I am sorry."

Vala whirled around and for a moment considered getting up in his face but decided against it. "Do you know how I'm feeling right now? I can't control this situation and I'm used to being in control! This isn't easy for me, Daniel. I'm too powerless here." She placed a hand over her eyes and another on her hip. "Please, just go and let me deal with my misery."

This shocked Daniel. The gentle, passionate archaeologist actually knew exactly what Vala was talking about and he wasn't about to let her kick him out without knowing. He grasped Vala's shoulders and forced her to look into those luminous blue eyes. "I trusted you enough to let you through the gate. Trust me now, when I say that I know what it feels like to be powerless."

As much as she didn't want to she struggled out of his grip (she rather liked the feeling of Daniel's hands on her). "Please, leave me alone."

"No," Daniel said, and the tingly feeling returned as he kissed her.

This was the one moment Vala Mal Doran wasn't concerned about being powerless.


End file.
